Police Say Drag Racing Led to St. Louis Car Accident

St. Louis, MOLocal authorities are saying that a St. Louis car accident that occurred on June 20 was caused by drag racing, reports local television station KMOV.

According to the news source, police say that two vehicles were traveling approximately 60 miles per hour on Hampton Avenue when they eventually collided. One of the cars eventually slammed into a light pole while the other crashed into a small tree, according to authorities.

Prior to the drag racing and subsequent accident, police say that one of the vehicles involved in the incident was stolen from a residence on Wilmington Avenue. Witnesses reportedly told police that four men exited one of the vehicles that crashed and fled the scene in the other car.

The news source reports that while police have called it atypical for cars to race down that part of the city, local residents had reported racing to authorities around the time of the accident.

While this accident did not prove fatal, another recent St. Louis car crash resulted in the death of a pregnant woman and a man, seriously injuring another person as well.

According to the news provider, the accident occurred after officers attempted to pull a vehicle over for a traffic violation, but the suspect sped away after the cop car put its lights on. When the suspect fled the scene, the officer reportedly ended the chase immediately.

One witness reported that the Buick Regal continued speeding southbound and ultimately ran a stoplight, at which point it hit a bump and flew into the air, crashing into a tree and becoming engulfed in flames.

"They couldn't stop and couldn't get control of the car and that tree is huge," St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department police captain Rochelle Jones told KPLR. "It's been there for 100 years. It's not going anywhere."

The driver, a 20-year-old, was taken to a local hospital and listed in serious condition, while the two passengers were killed in the accident. One passenger, 19-year-old Darshay Brandon, was pregnant. The other person killed was 31-year-old Stuart J. DeJesus, according to the news source.

Investigators reportedly discovered a gun in the vehicle, but the investigation could last for months, the news source said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 878 traffic fatalities in the state of Missouri in 2009, the latest year for which data was available.